She likes the bells

Not much to say about this, except she’s a pretty cute kid:

TV for toddlers?

For me, the first year or so of parenting was pretty much about hanging on. I was concerned with Karina’s diet, well being, and development, but sometimes the paramount concern was expediency. If she wanted a potato chip, I wouldn’t give it to her. But if she cried and trashed about on the floor and I had a pounding headache, I might hand over a chip or two. That seemed like a small price to pay to preserve her dad’s mental health.

Another example is television viewing. While I certainly do not want to raise a couch potato, sometimes TV is the only thing that calms her down. So she would watch TV. Now that I am beginning to get a bit of a hang of this parenting thing (at least relative to before I was a parent), I am beginning to question some of the potentially bad parental habits I have developed.

While the TV isn’t on nearly as much as it used to — and that’s probably a good thing — I have noticed that Karina is picking up some language skills from it, particularly when it comes to singing. She sings along with many of the They Might Be Giants videos we play for her. She also knows some of the Barney songs. The above video was shot over a month ago, and she is getting better and better at singing along. So again, while I don’t want to cultivate her TV viewing, I am heartened to see that it is having some positive impact.

The girls are back in town

So after being apart for nearly two weeks, Kazumi and Karina are back, safe and just-about sound. Let me tell you: that 14-hour time difference between Japan and California is no fun. Kazumi is sleepy all the time and Karina’s got some odd and difficult-to-accomodate sleeping patterns. She’s been waking up at midnight wanting to play, and that’s just not sustainable. I read that the best way to overcome jet lag in toddlers is to get them a lot of sun in the daytime, but this has been the only four-day stretch in the history of Los Angeles where the sun hasn’t come out even once. Just our luck.

That said, one positive thing is that being apart from wife and child for so long has made me appreciate them all the more. Coming home every day to an empty home was relaxing at first, but quickly became dispiriting. While it’s easy to romanticize the bachelor lifestyle, there really is nothing like coming come to a happy family.

Anyway, above is a video of Karina the day after returning from Japan. She’s been through a lot of traveling and shifting sleep schedules, but looks like she’s not too traumatized. As far as we can tell.

Highlights of 2009 Holidays, part II: Sledding!

One of my (many) concerns about raising a child in Los Angeles is that Karina will become inured to cold weather. Say what you will about the benefits of being raised in Ithaca, NY, but at least I can comfortably wear a t-shirt when its 60-degrees (unlike most of my fellow Angelinos). I really don’t want Karina to be one of those people who refuses to go outside any time there’s a chill in the air. So I was very curious to see how she would respond to the chilly Ithaca climate.

Before the family went to the East Coast, Kazumi not only thought Karina wouldn’t like the weather, but was concerned that a baby could even survive the freezing temperatures of an Ithaca winter. But to our mutual surprise, Karina liked being outside, kind of liked the snow (though didn’t particularly enjoy me throwing snowballs at her), and even took to sledding. She would lie down in the sled of her own volition and allow me to slide her around on her grandfather’s slow-covered lawn.

I have friends in California who have never seen snow. I am glad that Karina has gotten the opportunity to play in it at such a young age, and heartened that she seems to like it. Maybe next time we’re there we can build a snowman. Or at least have a spirited snowball fight.

Highlights of 2009 holidays, part I: Dad’s ribs

This holiday season Kazumi and I took Karina out with us for her first trip to the East Coast. She visited her biological grandparents, as well as some affectionate step-grandparents. While the traveling itself was exhausting and occasionally harrowing, there were many great moments that made the journey worthwhile.

Unbeknownst to most, my father makes the best ribs above the Mason-Dixon line. I don’t know how he does it — he’s a white guy raised in the rust belt — but they blow away anything I’ve had anywhere else. Truly, nothing even comes close. But as much as Kazumi and I enjoy them, Karina is the true glutton of the family, and I’m glad she got to try these. Also, as you can see in the photo below the fold, my dad’s ribs also helped heal the long-standing rift between Kazumi and canines.

Also, much appreciation to friends and godparents Ethan and Rachel for hosting Holiday Ribfest ‘09, who seemed to have settled into life in Ithaca quite nicely.

A breakthrough

One of the biggest coups from the last week is that in the mornings I can now put Karina in her high chair with a cup of yogurt and read the paper in peace. It’ll take her a good 10 minutes to get a cup of yogurt in her mouth (or on her face/shirt/ground), just enough time for me to finish my coffee. Sure, she hasn’t quite mastered the spoon, but there’s only one way to learn, right?

(Note: above photo from this morning. I’m surprised she missed so badly that she actually got her nose once. Bonus photo after the jump.)

Karina the bully

When Karina was a newborn, Kazumi confided to me that she was worried Karina would be bullied by others. While that does happen from time to time, I don’t think either of us expected that our daughter might be the aggressor. Well, turns out Karina’s favorite toy is whatever another kid is playing with. As a result, she often grabs things from others, pushes them down, and blithely runs away from the carnage. I know she’s only 15 months old, so it’s not like we’re thinking about sending her away to boot camp, but I’m not sure how concerned we should be.

“Apple”

Great moments in eating

Karina is now (kind of) eating with a spoon. I have to qualify that, since her performance varies greatly depending on her mood, but when she wants to, Karina can now operate basic utensils. Trying to teach her to feed herself reminded me that so many of our daily functions actually require lots of different muscles and delicate coordination. Thankfully, I didn’t have to have a stroke to gain this new found appreciation for my trusty motor skills.

Anyway, here’s the video:

Ever been stared down by a 15-month-old?

I didn’t really know it was possible until I saw this video. In fact, though I knew Karina had a bit of a violent streak in her, I had no idea she could be so intimidating. I’m kind of proud of her, but also kind of scared. I hope she doesn’t do this to me next time I’m eating pancakes and she wants some.

Note: I also don’t know whether it’s funny or sad that Karina goes on to play with the wheel for about half a second after almost fighting for it. Ah, human nature.